Health Promotion Centre Officer Pg Anuar Husaini Lt Col (R) Pg Hj Ramli said the average smoker would spend nearly $3,000 and consume 7,300 cigarettes a year if they spend $8 on a cigarette pack each day.

During a lecture on "The Habit of Smoking and How to Stop", yesterday, about 70 police officers were reminded to stop their smoking habits as it can greatly affect their mental stability.

Pg Anuar Husaini Lt Col (B) Pg Hj Ramli said that smoking not only affects a person's health, but also takes a toll on one's ability to accomplish work tasks.

For more on the lecture see reference below.Pg Anuar provided simple steps on how to quit smoking. Among the steps and suggestions he provided were to set a specific date on when to quit, no longer than six months; eliminating sources that may be related to smoking such as lighters and ashtrays; as well as distracting one's self when tempted.

December 30, 2010 - A federal judge on Wednesday struck down a New York City law that would have forced all bodegas (small grocery stores in an urban area) and convenience stores to post gruesome images of diseased lungs, brains and teeth in the shops to discourage people from buying cigarettes. In a 13-page ruling, Judge Jed S. Rakoff of United States District Court in Manhattan wrote that while the law was well intentioned, it violated federal law since only the federal government had the authority to regulate cigarette warnings and advertisements.

Background:August 13, 2010 - The hearing was set for October 14 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. The city agreed to stop enforcing its law until January 1 or 14 days after a judge's order, whichever comes first. The court case: US District Court Southern District of New York - NY Health Department signs in retail stores - 6/2/2010.

Massachusetts was poised to become the first state in the nation to force retailers to prominently display graphic warnings about the perils of smoking right where cigarettes are sold — at tobacco sales racks and next to cash registers. The proposal by the state Department of Public Health need the approval of the state Public Health Council. But now members of the council are waiting to see what happens with a pending New York lawsuit. "We are not going to take any action until after the initial hearing in New York City," says Jennifer Manley of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. (Massachusetts - may force retailers to display graphic warning signs of perils of tobacco..)

March 1, 2010 - NY City health officials are requiring stores that sell tobacco products to display graphic anti-smoking signs by March 1, 2010 but some experts and other New Yorkers question the effectiveness of the ad campaigns. Starting March 1, any city shops that sell cigarettes and other tobacco products that do not display these arresting anti-smoking signs risk fines of up to $2,000. (New York City - VIDEO: starting March 1, 2010 stores, anti-smoking signs..)

June 25, 2009 - New Yorkers are being called upon to give their opinion in a public hearing on July 30 on a new Health Code amendment that would put graphic anti-smoking warnings wherever tobacco products are sold. The warnings would include images depicting the adverse health effects of smoking and information on how to quit. (New York City - to ask public opinion - smoking graphic warning signs..)

“Even merchants of morbidity are entitled to the full protection of the law,” Judge Rakoff wrote, “for our sake as well as theirs.”The decision puts an end — at least for now— to the city’s plan to have the placards displayed beside cash registers in more than 11,000 establishments across the city. While awaiting Judge Rakoff’s ruling, the city had agreed that it would postpone enforcement of its rule until this weekend.

Lawyers with the city’s Law Department said they planned to appeal the decision. In a statement, the health department said that the city “strongly disagrees” with the ruling and that tobacco companies “trying to prevent these messages from being seen should be ashamed of themselves.”

But Judge Rakoff also cited a federal law enacted in 1965, the Labeling Act, which gave the federal government exclusive authority over cigarette warnings. That law, he wrote, seeks to balance public and commercial interests: the federal government protects the public, but also sets clear and uniform cigarette regulations that protect “commerce and the national economy.” In his ruling, Judge Rakoff pointed out that the Labeling Act also contained a provision forbidding any state laws from conflicting with the federal government’s policies on cigarette warnings and advertisements. That, he concluded, makes the city’s placard policy illegal.

Click to enlarge..December 30, 2010 - R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (RJR) has launched a national campaign marketing Camel Snus as a potential New Year's resolution solution for smokers. David Howard, a Reynolds spokesman, said that it is the company's first campaign aimed specifically at encouraging smokers to switch to Camel Snus.

"A lot of adults make a decision to quit smoking this time of the year," Howard said. "For those making that attempt, but still wanting the pleasure of tobacco, we're saying 'Here's an option.' " Bill Godshall, the executive director of SmokeFree Pennsylvania, said he believes that Reynolds is the first large U.S. tobacco company to encourage smokers to quit smoking by urging them to switch to a smokeless product. (Pennsylvania - no state tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco products..)

Matt Myers, the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said that Reynolds should "stop its insidious marketing of tobacco products in ways that seek to discourage smokers from quitting and keep them hooked on nicotine." "The ads are trying to take advantage of people trying to end all uses of tobacco," Myers said. "If a smoker does that, switch to smokeless, they'll be worse off than if they had quit."

Snus comes in a small pouch that is placed between the lip and gum. The tobacco is pasteurized, not fermented, and it contains less moisture and salt than moist snuff. It also does not require the consumer to spit, Reynolds said. Although Reynolds does not dictate the price of Camel Snus at retail, the price is comparable to a premium pack of cigarettes, which typically sells for $4 to $4.50.

Reynolds has been the most aggressive U.S. tobacco manufacturer with snus. It began its first trial in April 2006, with national distribution commencing in January 2009.(Reynolds To Roll Out Camel SNUS Nationally Early in 2009..)The ads do not make any claims of reduced health risks with a potential switch.

Some anti-smoking advocates are encouraging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow the advertising of smokeless tobacco as less harmful than cigarettes if such claims can be proven through research. For example, a study of smokers ages 18 to 70 — released in November by the Tobacco Use Research Center of the University of Minnesota — found that "quit rates for Camel Snus were comparable to those obtained with nicotine replacement therapy."

"A properly powered study is needed to determine if use of smokeless tobacco products with higher nicotine content can be an effective path to smoking cessation, perhaps especially among smokers who are not interested in or previously were not successful with using approved pharmacotherapies."

Some anti-tobacco advocates oppose marketing smokeless products under cigarettes' brand names because of those brands' appeal to youth.

The 2010 Monitoring the Future survey, released Dec. 14, found that smokeless tobacco use is rising among eighth, 10th and 12th graders, including at 16 percent among 12th-grade boys. The survey is conducted by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Michigan researchers said that factors leading to the increases in smokeless-tobacco use likely included increased advertising and availability of these products.

Myers said that research of smokeless products must evaluate what harm is caused by the product along with how the product is marketed. "If a smokeless product reduces the risk of disease, but results in more people using tobacco, it could result in more deaths, not fewer," Myers said.

Godshall said it will be interesting to see if the FDA tries to claim "that Reynolds' new ads make Camel Snus an unapproved smoking-cessation drug device." He said that the FDA has made such a claim with electronic cigarettes. This is a ridiculous comment on the part of Mr. Godshall. Camel snus is a pouch of tobacco where an e-cigarette (ENDS - nicotine electronic delivery device) consists of a battery, a heating element and a cartridge that contains a liquid suspension with nicotine. When a user inhales from the cartridge, the liquid is heated and the vaporized liquid can be inhaled.

Jackalope Jacks Manager Ben Jackson said he and his employees are feeling a lot different in 2010 than they did at this time last year. "We don't seem to be as sick. It's a better working environment. People don't seem to come down with colds as much, upper respiratory infections,” Jackson said.

The North Carolina Division of Public Health found Jackson isn't the only one breathing easier. Nearly one year after smoking was banned in North Carolina's bars and restaurants a new report showed air quality has improved nearly 90 percent where we eat, drink and have a good time.

"I hope that skeptics can see now that this is not just a popular law that people really enjoy but that it's actually having a positive effect on the health of the state,” Ann Staples (with the state tobacco prevention and control branch) said. Staples said the longer the smoking ban is in effect, the better it will be for the state's overall well being and health care costs. "Heart disease and lung disease and particularly lung cancer, and we should see those rates go down where there's less and less exposure to secondhand smoke,” Staples said.Smokers we spoke with Wednesday night, December 22nd said they're still getting used to walking outdoors in order to light up. "It's more of a mental process, you know, like I have to go outside right now, to go smoke, and get away from my friends," Alison Kushner said.

Beyond the health impact of the state's smoking ban, an economic study is expected in a month or so which will outline how the ban has affected businesses' bottom line. Jackson said it has filtered in new customers to his establishment. “If anything it's affected for the better, because we've had an influx of non-smokers that normally wouldn't have come to bars and restaurants," Jackson said.

December 29, 2010 - Beijing will strive to make all the city's indoor public places, workplaces and public transport smoke-free by 2015, said local health authorities.

Hospitals, schools, theaters, museums, business halls, stadiums, offices of enterprises and government organizations, as well as buses, taxies and subways, should hopefully be smoke-free by then, said Mao Yu, spokesman of the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, at a news conference held Friday, December 24th.

Background: Each year, 5.4 million people die of smoking-related diseases worldwide, one fifth of whom are in China. The country now has 350 million smokers on the mainland, including 180 million teenagers, WHO statistics showed. Without effective intervention, another 100 million Chinese will die from smoking-related illness by 2050, half of them aged between 30 and 60, experts estimated.

Yang Gonghuan, head of the National Office of Tobacco Control, said that progress in reducing the number of smokers had almost stalled since China ratified FCTC in 2003.

The municipal government issued a smoking ban in the above places in 2008 ahead of the Beijing Olympics, but the rules haven't been effectively implemented. China's tobacco consumption has been rising in recent decades, from nearly 590 billion cigarettes in 1978 to roughly 2.3 trillion in 2009, statistics on the website of the China National Tobacco Corporation showed. And cigarette production has increased by 33 percent since 2002.

China's tobacco consumption has been rising in recent decades, from nearly 590 billion cigarettes in 1978 to roughly 2.3 trillion in 2009, statistics on the website of the China National Tobacco Corporation showed. And cigarette production has increased by 33 percent since 2002.

As the tobacco industry reportedly generated more than 513 billion yuan ($77 billion) in taxes in 2009, accounting for 7.5 percent of total government revenues.

Despite a lack of national legislation, by 2010 more than half of China's 337 large and medium-sized cities had issued regulations to ban smoking in certain public areas, said the report.

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology administers China's largest tobacco producer. Currently, China National Tobacco Corporation, the largest cigarette-maker in China and reportedly the largest worldwide, makes 95 percent of China's tobacco products and is a subsidiary of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, which is under the ministry.

Mao said, "The current smoking-control regulations still need to be improved."

He said the first step was for health authorities to better implement the smoking ban in medical institutions, as a drop in medical professionals smoking could set an example for society.

China is home to 350 million smokers, a third of the global total. It ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003, pledging measures to effectively curb tobacco use and ban smoking in all indoor public places, workplaces and public transport.

December 27, 2010 - A proposal to ban smoking in Japanese workplaces would herald a big political shift in the world's fourth-biggest cigarette market and accelerate the decline of its giant tobacco lobby, industry experts say. It would also bring Japan into line with much of the developed world, where prohibitions on smoking at work have been widespread for years. (Japan's workplace smokers, and their research foundation, lose puff, Justin Norrie, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2/27.2010)

Back on December 7th it was learned that a government panel plans to propose a bill to require employers in Japan to ban smoking in workplaces or set up smoking rooms, but will not include any penalties, government officials said Monday. The panel will present the proposal to the minister of health, labor and welfare before the end of the year to allow the bill to be submitted to the Diet during its ordinary session in the first half of 2011. Although some labor representatives at the panel’s meeting Monday, December 6th called for some penalties to ensure compliance with the requirement, the panel eventually endorsed management representatives’ opinion that imposing such punishment would be too tough for employers, the officials said. The proposal will also urge the government to provide financial and other support for employers to promote antismoking measures. (Japan plans to impose workplace smoking ban, but without penalties, JapanToday.com, 12/7/2010)

The advisory committee submitted the plan this week to Health Minister Ritsuo Hosokawa, Legislation will probably be submitted next year to Parliament.

Japan now has a voluntary policy on smoking. A 2007 survey found just over half of businesses had not taken steps to protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke by totally banning the practice or creating leak-proof smoking rooms. A government order banning smoking in all offices, factories and stores to protect nonsmoking employees and customers from secondhand smoke will likely be implemented next year. The measure would significantly ratchet up regulations from the current nonbinding rule. This has left restaurants and bars, unable to ignore the wishes of customers who like to light up, worried about how to comply with the new restrictions.

The new regulation would, in principle, force all places of business to completely ban smoking or separate smoking areas in rooms smoke cannot leak out of. According to a 2007 survey by the ministry, 53.6 percent of businesses had yet to introduce either a total ban on smoking or establish separate smoking areas.

In February 2010, the ministry issued a nonbinding notice banning smoking in all public places, including restaurants and bars. (Japan - Health Ministry set to urge all local governments to go smoke-free..) "The [antismoking notice] has not penetrated enough," a ministry official said. The ministry wants to strengthen the regulations to force business and factory owners and operators to choose between a complete ban on smoking or building a segregated area.In a 2008 survey by the Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association on action taken by restaurants and bars against secondhand smoke, 50 percent of respondents said they wanted to prevent passive smoking but business must come first. Only 32 percent said clearly that exposure to secondhand smoke should be prevented. Even if an exception is granted, simply separating smoking and nonsmoking tables probably would be insufficient, as there would be limits set on the quantity of dust in the air. Therefore, investment in ventilators or other equipment likely would be necessary, a difficult burden to shoulder for small eating and drinking establishments.

Global-Dining Inc., a Tokyo-based chain of 60 restaurants and other food service operations, made all of its stores smoke-free in March, with the exception of a cigar bar. The company said it is commonly accepted overseas that smoking is not allowed in restaurants. The chain's customers have praised the decision.

The nation's smoking rate was 23.4 percent in 2009. With the number of smokers dwindling and tough new regulations on the horizon, Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) is in crisis mode. In November, JT sent the ministry a letter claiming the new rules would have many negative effects, such as a decline in revenue at bars and restaurants.

The ministry does not stipulate any penalties, such as fines, for those who flout the rule, but said it would try to make the regulations stick by allowing the labor standards inspections office to issue correction instructions. Inspectors will have the right to enter businesses and conduct inspections at will, and violators will have to report on their corrective measures to the office.

However, Fumisato Watanabe, editor in chief of Kinen Journal, a monthly magazine on stopping smoking, criticized the lack of penalties. "It's like if traffic violators didn't face any punishment," Watanabe said. "It's meaningless."

A senior ministry official said: "As long as society is tolerant of smoking, it's difficult to completely get rid of secondhand smoke. Public opinion will determine how effective the regulations will be."

The move was in response to a 2009 study by the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory that showed the ill effects on nonsmokers. (The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General)The USS Michigan got a jump on a dozen other Kitsap-based submarines, and its sailors are breathing easier because of it. The Blue Crew of SSGN-727 went smokeless at 7:27 a.m. on July 27, matching the boat’s hull number. By midnight on Dec. 31, the rest of the Navy’s subs must follow suit. The Michigan was the first boat from Naval Base Kitsap, and possibly in the Navy, to kick the habit, said Submarine Group 9 spokesman Lt. Ed Early. It wasn’t alone, however.

As of Oct. 22, 21 of the Navy’s 71 submarines had gone completely smoke-free, Early said. Efforts to get an updated number from Submarine Force in Norfolk, Va., last week proved unsuccessful.

There are about 3,500 submariners based at Naval Base Kitsap. If 31 percent of sailors smoke, as a 2008 Department of Defense survey contends, then nearly 1,100 local submariners will have to either quit or subdue the urge to smoke while they’re on patrol.

Submariners can still use smokeless tobacco, though the Navy highly discourages it. Ten percent of them do, according to the survey. They can take cigarettes onto the boat and smoke them pier side or while on liberty. If they get caught sneaking a puff on board, the commanding officer will determine the proper response.

“The goal is to educate smokers about the effect on smokers, and if they want to quit, to help them quit,” Early said.

Sailors have had seven months to quit, and a lot of help. The Navy provided smoking-cessation classes, counseling, and nicotine patches and gum at Naval Hospital Bremerton, its Bangor health clinic and a substance-abuse rehabilitation center at Bangor, said hospital spokesman Doug Stutz. “They have qualified counselors who have been accredited and have a thorough knowledge of how to deal with anybody who wants to undertake the process of weaning away from the nicotine habit,” Stutz said.

That includes spouses and girlfriends, Stutz said.

The hospital is working with Submarine Group 9 leadership and submarine commanding officers so the crews have ample resources to kick the habit, Stutz said. Each crew has an independent duty corpsman who oversees the program on the sub and is responsible for the gum and patches.

A week from the deadline, all submarines should be close to smokeless, though there might be some stragglers, Early said. “We’ve put the word out to all of our boats. We expect when Jan. 1 rolls around, the submarine force will be absolutely smoke-free,” he said. Anybody with access to the naval hospital can get help to quit smoking, not just submariners, Stutz said. Call (800) 422-1383. Resources are available at the website www.ucanquit2.org.

Dr. Moore..December 27, 2010 - While most people have an idea of some of the dangers of tobacco use – lung cancer, problems with pregnancy – the threat to your oral health can also be severe, even deadly, according to veteran San Antonio dentist John Moore, DDS.

“Smoking is the No. 1 most preventable cause of death, according to both the federal government and the World Health Organization,” Moore said. “Baby Boomers and their children have lived most of their lives with Surgeon General’s warnings on cigarette packs, pointing out that they cause heart disease, lung cancer and other ills.”

“But if you need more motivation to quit using tobacco, the answer is in your mouth,” the San Antonio orthodontist added, noting that smoking – as well as smokeless tobacco products – can cause a number of serious problems, including:

* Unsightly tooth stains* Persistent bad breath* Loss of the ability to taste food* A higher rate of mouth sores, gum recession and gum disease* Tough plaque that must be cleaned professionally* The development of deep pockets between teeth and gums, and the loss of tissue and bones that anchor teeth into place.* Tooth loss - At a rate triple that of non-smokers* Healing problems in the mouth - with a lower success rate for periodontal treatments and dental implants* Formation of white patches in the mouth* Oral cancer“If you started smoking to look ‘cool’, it has the opposite effect” Moore said. The good news is that many of the bad effects of tobacco use can be slowed or even reversed by quitting immediately, he said.

New Year’s is a good time to make a commitment to stop smoking, because is a culturally accepted time to make life-change decisions, Moore said. But a smoker must be realistic and make a serious commitment to quit ... and to keep focusing on the goal, even if there are slips. “In the end, you have to take responsibility for your own habits, and whether tobacco is going to control you,” Dr. Moore said. “While you’re planning your end-of-year holidays, make this year the one to give a gift of life and health to your loved ones and yourself.”

December 27, 2010 - Waverley Council is reminding beachgoers that smoking is banned on the sand on all our beaches, and urging people to do the right thing or risk facing a heavy fine for lighting up on the beach. (No smoking on Waverleys beaches, Waverly Council News 2010.)

Now we find that anti-smoking rules on some of Sydney's most famous beaches are nothing but hot air, with at least one council claiming its rangers are powerless to enforce the ban. Waverley Council, which set the no-smoking rule on Bondi Beach in 2004, told The Sunday Telegraph it had not issued a single fine since the ban was introduced because it did not know whether its rangers had the power to demand someone's identification.

When The Sunday Telegraph visited Bondi Beach last week, it had no trouble finding scores of people lighting up on the famous stretch of sand. While Waverley rangers take a soft approach, a spokesman for Local Government Minister Barbara Perry said council rangers could, in fact, not only demand a person's name and address, but they could also physically detain them if they didn't comply.At Manly, where smoking is banned on the beach and in The Corso, the council has issued three $110 fines in the past 12 months for people smoking on the beac (the only fines). A spokesman for Manly Council said its rangers preferred to "educate" people rather than fine them and had never detained anyone who refused to give their name and address to rangers. "The the ranger would identify themselves and ask for the person's identification, and if they refused or the situation escalated, they would call the police," he said.

Smokers in Mosman have been banned since 2004 from lighting up in al fresco dining areas and within 10m of council owned buildings. In 2007, the Mosman ban was extended to cover parks, public squares, bus shelters and beaches.

December 27, 2010 - Worldwide tobacco use kills at least 5 million people every year. World Health Organization warns that unless countries take drastic action, tobacco could kill about 8 million people every year by 2030, mostly in the developing countries. On average 273 Pakistanis die each day from smoking related diseases.

Many blame this, among other factors, on lack of public awareness, and lax anti-smoking regulations. With a spike in smoking amongst the youth, retailers in Pakistan continue to sell cigarettes illegally to under-age smokers.

Experts believe measures like increasing taxes on tobacco products and banning advertising don't address the root causes of the habit. Smoking levels naturally drop off when people become richer and better-educated.

WASHINGTON -- A brief posting in the December 20, 2010, issue of the Federal Register, the Department of Health and Human Services suggests cigars could come under regulation by the Food and Drug Administration as soon as June 2011.

The Federal Register published the agency's semi-annual "Regulatory Agenda," which provides a forecast of numerous rulemaking actions under development that the agency expects to undertake in the foreseeable future. The FDA is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

In the published notice, Sequence Number 325 lists a proposed rule titled "Cigars Subject to the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act," according to a recent newsletter from the National Association of Tobacco Outlets. This act is the law that granted the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products.

The notice includes the abstract on this proposed rule, which states that "[t]his proposed rule would deem cigars to be subject to the Tobacco Control Act and include provisions to address public health concerns raised by cigars."

To date, cigars have remained separate from the act, although many in the industry assumed they would eventually fall under the FDA’s regulation. In the notice, a possible action timetable for a proposed rule on cigars is June 2011.

Mayor Michael Nutter..December 26, 2010 - Mayor Nutter talked about one of his Christmas wishes yesterday, December 23rd - reducing smoking rates in Philadelphia. Just in time for the holiday weekend, Nutter signed into law legislation that hikes the fines for merchants who sell tobacco products to minors. "We cannot allow our children to become the next generation of addicts," Nutter said. "Smoking is not cool at all."

Philadelphia is an easy place for kids to buy cigarettes illegally. When undercover shoppers for the city's health department — local high school students posing as customers — try to buy cigarettes in one of the city's 4,300 tobacco retailers, they succeed at least 25% of the time.

Confronted by one of the highest underage smoking rates among large cities, Philadelphia has launched an unusual program that sends health department workers into corner stores and Chinese restaurants for one-on-one sessions with retailers who have been caught selling tobacco to teens.

December 23, 2010 - Stores caught selling cigarettes to minors will now face heftier fines in Philadelphia. The legislation signed Thursday, December 23rd is designed to cut the city's high teen smoking rate. The bill raises the fine from $100 to $250 and if a merchant defaults on the fine it can be increased to as much as $2,000. Mayor Michael Nutter says it's designed to help keep young people from taking up what could be a deadly habit. "We cannot allow our children to be the next generation of addicts facing a very certain future of illness and death. Smoking is not cool at all," said Nutter.

In addition to the fines, the legislation authorizes the city to shut down a business for 48 hours if it sells tobacco to minors three times in two years. And the city will post on its website the names of businesses cited for illegal tobacco sales.

Nutter also spoke about a new publicity campaign, called the "Last Pack," which will provide counseling and other support to those trying to quit cigarettes. Promotional ads will be featured on 17 local radio stations. The effort is funded through a $10.4 million federal stimulus grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As part of the anti-smoking effort, last month the city launched a nicotine-patch giveaway that attracted 3,300 participants. And starting in January, the city will provide insurance coverage for smoking-cessation medications to roughly 7,000 employees. Nutter asked that anyone who witnesses an illegal tobacco sale to a minor report it by calling 1-888-99-SMOKE or going to smokefreephilly.org.

In Philadelphia, 7.4% of teenagers under 18 smoke daily, according to an annual study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's less than the national underage smoking rate of 11.2%, but far higher than cities such as Boston, where 5.7% of teenagers smoke regularly, Los Angeles, where 3.6% do, or New York, where 4.9% of kids smoke, according to the CDC's 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance released in June.

"The products are available at just about every corner," says Giridhar Mallya, director of policy and planning for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. And because Philadelphia has no local tax on cigarettes, unlike many cities, "they're pretty darn cheap," at about $6 a pack.

The city's effort comes at a time when the national decline in youth smoking has stalled, and the rate of retailers selling to minors has crept up. After dropping from a peak of 35% in 1995 to 20% in 2007, the decline in the rate of youth who have smoked in the previous month has plateaued, according to the CDC. In the most recent federal reports on underage cigarette sales, the national rate of retailers selling to minors increased to 10.9% from 9.9%, the first increase since the study began in 1997 and the highest rate since 2005.

Of the 405 retailers visited in the program's first five months, 45% have again sold cigarettes to teens, according to Lauren Gemberling of the Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Philadelphia, which undertakes the work for the health department.

Anti-smoking efforts don't stop with minors. According to the city, smoking afflicts all ages in Philadelphia, killing 2,500 people in the city each year and costing more than $800 million in lost productivity.

Under a law that went into effect in June, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will enforce the ban on underage cigarette sales through state grants; Pennsylvania won a grant in July. The program's impact on Philadelphia is "to be determined, but that could be an important piece" of reducing kids' ability to buy cigarettes, Mallya says. (FDA CTP Retailer Compliance Training Sessions..)

December 26, 2010 - This study was designed to determine the effects of smoking cessation on lipoproteins. The study of over 1,500 smokers showed that the blood level of HDL also known as good cholesterol in people who quitting the habit increased by an average of 5 percent. The positive effect was found to be greater in women than in men.

"Further benefits on cholesterol levels may have been actually masked by the weight gain seen after quitting," said lead researcher Adam Gepner from the University of Wisconsin, stressing that small weight gain regularly follows smoking cessation.

"It is important to counsel quitters about weight gain and the need for a healthy diet and regular exercise during the quitting period," he added.

Researchers, however, do not have a clear understanding of what lies behind quitting cigarette and increased good cholesterol levels, suggesting that smoking may damage the proteins that control the breakdown of cholesterol.

Previous studies have linked about 20 percent of mortalities from cardiovascular diseases to smoking.

December 26, 2010 - Tivoli is a village in Northern Dutchess County, New York - Memorial Recreation Park has become a smoke-free experience. Village officials have banned the use of tobacco products throughout the park, including at the ball field and in the pavilion.

“Kids should not be playing and inhaling cigarette smoke,” said Village Board member Bryan Cranna, who sponsored the resolution instituting the ban. “We’re hoping this is going to be a step toward creating a healthier and cleaner play environment for the kids.” Cranna said he began pushing for the smoking ban after he and two other board members celebrated Earth Day by cleaning up litter in the park. Cranna said the group SmokeFree Dutchess provided the village with information needed to draft the ban along with the “No Smoking” signs that have been placed throughout the park.

Ellen Reinhard, director of SmokeFree Dutchess, commended Tivoli officials for “joining the growing list of municipalities across New York state who have adopted polices and ordinances in support of tobacco-free parks and playgrounds. This policy will help denormalize tobacco use, which encourages adults to quit smoking and prevents youths from ever starting,” she said.In May, town of Hyde Park officials banned smoking at two town parks, and earlier this month, the town of Poughkeepsie banned smoking at its 22 town parks and playgrounds. Ulster County has banned smoking on all county-owned and operated properties. Smoking also is prohibited on all city of Kingston municipal properties, including parks, and the town of Ulster is considering a ban on smoking at town parks and playgrounds. Town snuffs smoking at parks, playgrounds)

December 25, 2010 - Some 50% of the country’s cafés and discotheques allow smoking, despite the ban for all except small, one-man operated bars, according to new figures from the food and safety inspectorate.

According to the Volkskrant (a national daily Dutch morning newspaper), the new government says around half of the country’s bars are smaller than 70 m2, meaning they are exempt from the ban, provided they do not employ staff. However, the Dutch catering association says the figure is closer to 25%.Not only is there confusion about the size of bars, but bigger cafe owners say they are faced with unfair competition.

‘Since the government said it would soften the ban, the whole sector has been discussing it,’ Ben Francooy, chairman of catering workers’ union FNV Horecabond told the paper. ‘If you are going to make [the ban] more flexible, you open the door to fiddling the figures.’ In some places, cafe owners have an alarm light to alert each other if inspectors are spotted, Francooy said.

December 24, 2010 - OCEAN CITY, Md. - Ocean City’s neighboring resort town, Bethany Beach, Del. is a prime example of the proposed ban. Bethany Beach passed a smoking ban on its beaches and Boardwalk in 2008. The ban lasts from May 15 to Sept. 15 every year. During that time frame, smokers are provided with designated smoking areas on Bethany’s beaches. Last summer Bethany Beach Mayor Tony McClenny had said that the smoking ban enforced during the busy season has proven to be popular, and the town has experienced little resistance and few complaints as well as enforcement actions. In April 2008, town officials banned smoking year-round at town parks, playgrounds and the bandstand area of the boardwalk. They also prohibited smoking on most of the boardwalk and the beach between May 15 and Sept. 15. (Council Rejects Outdoor Smoking Ban, Seeks Designated Areas, written By: Joanne Shriner, Staff Writer, mdcoastdispatch.com, 12/24/2010; Bethany Considers Extending Beach Smoking Ban, WBOC.com, 11/18/2010))

On Monday night, December 20th the Ocean City, MD city council decided to reject a proposed smoking ban. Instead, they unanimously approved a new motion to restrict smoking at public parks, following the rules that already existed there. The motion also included an initiative to create plans for voluntary smoking areas at the boardwalk and beach, rather than a complete ban. The vote came after a public hearing, in which residents of Ocean City and visitors from all over Maryland and Delaware voiced their opinions. Councillors of Ocean City, Delmarva, Maryland, on Wednesday, December 23rd voted unanimously not to ban smoking through instead to create voluntary smoking areas on the beach and Boardwalk.After hearing from supporters and opponents of a proposed smoking ban, the council agreed with Councilman Joe Hall's suggestion to set up voluntary smoking areas on the beach and Boardwalk, and more forcefully ban smoking in the resort's parks. According to town staff, there already is a rule against smoking in parks but it had not yet been addressed by ordinance. Hall said he thought placing cans on the beach, labeled with a request that people smoke near them, would work.

December 24, 2010 - A ban on displaying cigarettes in shop windows and shelves comes into effect in Finland in 2012. Consumers interested in purchasing cigarettes will be handed simple catalogues illustrating cigarette packages and price information.

Tobacco products will be listed in catalogues by name, package size and retail price. Product images may also be included. The rudimentary nature of the catalogue is intended to prohibit it from being used as a marketing tool.

December 24, 2010 - Leading cigarette manufacturers Godfrey Phillips India (GPI)and ITC have resumed production after getting directions from the government on what kind of pictorial warnings should be displayed on the packets. When contacted, GPI Vice-President Marketing Neeta Kapur confirmed that the company has resumed production since Monday. Similarly, an ITC official also confirmed the same saying the company has "even resumed dispatches".

December 4, 2010 - India's largest cigarette firm ITC, maker of India Kings, Gold Flake and Navy Cut, has stopped production at all its manufacturing units in view of uncertainty over pictorial warnings to be carried on tobacco products starting this month. The company said there was no clarity on types of warnings to be carried on the packages. ITC has stopped production at all five units located across India since yesterday. Confirming the development an ITC spokesperson said, "Units (for making cigarettes) are shut because of the ambiguity in pictorial warnings to be carried from December 1 onwards." According to industry sources, even Godfrey Phillips India (GPI), the country's second largest cigarette maker after ITC that owns brands like Four Square, Red and White and Cavanders, has stopped production. (India - cigarettes and bidis manufacturers halt production seek clarification on pictorial health warnings..)